Yes, your car can be towed for expired tags in Illinois, though the authority for that tow usually comes from a municipal ordinance rather than state law. State statutes make it illegal to drive with expired registration but do not clearly authorize a tow on that basis alone. Cities fill the gap. Chicago, in particular, treats a parked car with expired plates as a towable offense, and the combined bill for the tow, storage, ticket, and administrative penalty can pass $500 within days.
When Police Can Tow for Expired Tags
Illinois law prohibits operating a vehicle that displays expired registration plates or stickers under 625 ILCS 5/3-413.1Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/3-413 – Display of Registration Plates, Registration Stickers, and Drive-Away Permits That’s a driving offense, not a towing rule. The state’s actual towing authority is in 625 ILCS 5/11-1302, which lets an officer remove a vehicle in specific situations, including when registration has been suspended, cancelled, or revoked.2Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/11-1302 – Officers Authorized to Remove Vehicles A registration that simply lapsed is not the same thing as one the Secretary of State cancelled.
In practice, officers still have room to tow. If you’re stopped for expired tags and can’t produce valid registration, the officer may decide you can’t provide for the vehicle’s custody, which is its own towing trigger under the same statute. A car left on a public street with long-expired tags can also be classified as abandoned under 625 ILCS 5/4-203, which allows towing from urban streets after 10 hours and from other highways after 24 hours.3Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/4-203 – Removal of Motor Vehicles or Other Vehicles; Towing or Hauling Away
The bigger risk is local. Chicago’s municipal code makes it unlawful to leave a vehicle on a public street without a valid registration plate or temporary permit, and violators are subject to towing.4City of Chicago. Chicago Municipal Code 9-76-160 – Registration Plates Other Illinois cities have adopted their own versions, and the details vary. In a small downstate town you might get a ticket and drive off. In Chicago your car can be gone before you finish your errands.
What a Tow Actually Costs
Chicago publishes its rates. The tow is $250 for vehicles under 8,000 pounds and $350 for heavier ones. Storage runs $50 per day for standard vehicles and $100 per day for anything over 8,000 pounds.5City of Chicago. Common Towing Questions Outside Chicago, fees are generally lower, but Illinois has no statewide cap. The Illinois Commerce Commission requires towing companies to post their fees and bars them from charging above the posted rate.6Illinois Commerce Commission. Consumer’s Guide to Towing
Storage is where the total gets ugly. Even at $25 or $35 a day outside Chicago, two weeks of storage adds hundreds on top of the tow itself. Every day counts.
Then there’s the underlying ticket. An expired-registration citation typically runs around $90, though the amount varies by municipality and can climb for repeat offenses or long-lapsed registration. The Secretary of State charges a $20 late fee on the renewal itself. If the tow happened in Chicago because the vehicle sat on a public road without any registration plate, the city adds a $500 administrative penalty on top of everything else.4City of Chicago. Chicago Municipal Code 9-76-160 – Registration Plates
How to Get Your Car Back
Find the vehicle first. Call the law enforcement agency that ordered the tow or the city’s towing information line. Chicago runs an online vehicle lookup.
Bring valid ID, proof of ownership (title or current registration card), and proof of insurance to the impound lot. Many lots also require a police release form, which comes from the district station that authorized the tow. You’ll pay all outstanding towing and storage fees before the vehicle is released. Impound lots are required to be open during business hours and during any hours the towing company is open for towing, so that owners can reclaim their cars, and the towing company must give you an itemized receipt.3Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/4-203 – Removal of Motor Vehicles or Other Vehicles; Towing or Hauling Away
Renew the registration before you drive out. Leaving with the same expired tags that got you towed invites another ticket or another tow.
Getting Personal Items Out Before You Pay
Under 625 ILCS 5/4-203 the towing company holds a lien on the vehicle and most of what’s inside, but the statute exempts certain items so you can retrieve them even if you can’t yet pay the towing bill.3Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/4-203 – Removal of Motor Vehicles or Other Vehicles; Towing or Hauling Away
- Child car seats and booster seats
- Prescription medicine, medical devices, hearing aids, and eyeglasses
- Food and other perishable property
- Cash, credit cards, checks, and checkbooks
- Driver’s licenses, wallets, purses, and documents containing Social Security cards or other identifying materials
- Textbooks and higher-education study materials
- Another person’s property, if that person can prove ownership
A close family member can claim these exempt items on your behalf with your authorization. Anything not on this list, including electronics, tools, and recreational gear, stays with the vehicle until you pay.
If You Leave the Car in Impound
Storage fees keep running, and the lot can eventually dispose of the vehicle. In cities over 500,000 (effectively Chicago), an unclaimed vehicle can be scrapped or sold to a recycler 18 days after the owner receives notice. Elsewhere in Illinois, the waiting period is 30 days after notice for vehicles seven years old or newer.7Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/4-208 – Disposal of Abandoned, Lost, Stolen, or Unclaimed Vehicles
Once the vehicle is disposed of, the last registered owner is presumed to have abandoned it and faces a mandatory $200 fine plus liability for towing, storage, and processing costs. Storage liability is capped at 30 days, but the total can still be substantial. You can rebut the presumption by producing a police report for a stolen vehicle or by proving you sold the car before the tow and identifying the buyer.8FindLaw. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/4-214 – Violations of Section 4-201
Challenging the Tow
Illinois has no single statewide post-tow appeal process. Where and how you contest depends on the jurisdiction that towed you. Chicago runs an administrative hearing system where you can dispute both the tow and any related fines, and you generally need to request a hearing promptly or lose the right to contest. Other municipalities either run their own administrative hearings or route you through local court by way of the underlying citation.
The strongest argument is that the registration was actually current when the vehicle was towed. If you renewed online or by mail and the sticker hadn’t arrived, a renewal receipt or Secretary of State confirmation dated before the tow can knock out the basis for it. Officers sometimes rely on database records that haven’t caught up with a recent renewal, so this comes up more than you’d expect.
Other arguments help in narrower circumstances. A vehicle on private property such as your own driveway is generally outside municipal ordinances aimed at vehicles on public roads. If the car was inoperable and being repaired when the tags lapsed, an administrative hearing officer may reduce or waive penalties, though there is no guarantee.
Storage fees don’t pause while you build your case. Retrieve the vehicle first when you can, then contest the charges. Hold on to renewal confirmations, repair invoices, and any correspondence with the Secretary of State’s office; documentation decides most of these hearings.